The BPIF has sold BPIF Training in a strategic move to free the training provider to find its own growth path and to enable the trade association to sharpen its focus on provision of core services.
The move completed at the end of May is the culmination of a lengthy process, first off considering how best to proceed and second to find the ideal partner for the business. That has turned out to be Fiona Hudson-Kelly, the founder of Smart Assessor, a software platform supporting apprenticeship training providers, and an angel investor into tech businesses.
“We have been very pleased with progress that has been made over the last seven or eight years,” says BPIF chief executive Charles Jarrold. Now with the rapidly changing nature of apprenticeship learning and delivery, “BPIF Training needs investment to step up and go forwards. We simply do not have the resources to provide what it needs.”
The training operation was set up as a separate body because Ofsted took responsibility for monitoring these training bodies. Jarrold likens the structure, with an advisory board, to a school’s board of governors. That has worked until now but with changes in how training can become more digital, let alone further changes on the horizon, BPIF Training needed to complete its separation from the trade association.
“That will free up resources that can be invested back into the trade association,” he says.
The organisation will continue to share offices in Meriden with its former owner. Hudson-Kelly is based in the same part of the Midlands. She is taking on the 20 staff headed by Karly Lattimore to maintain the continuity.
The BPIF will continue to provide updates for HR and health and safety, but responsibility for all apprentices, including management apprentices, will remain with BPIF Training. The division also provides training to non BPIF members. “It’s always been about what is good for the industry,” says Jarrold.
There will continue to be communication about what printers need passed to the training provider through the BPIF as a hub, something that Jarrold sees as a key role for the federation beyond training.
“This is a milestone moment for both organisations,” he says. “BPIF Training has built an excellent reputation as a provider of high quality apprenticeships and training, and under Fiona’s leadership it will have the independence and investment capacity to go further.”
New owner Hudson-Kelly says: “ One of the greatest strengths of BPIF Training is its exceptional leadership team and dedicated people. Karly Lattimore and her experienced team will continue to lead the business day to day, providing continuity, expertise, and trusted support to learners, employers, and partners, with my support as Chair as we build on the company’s strong foundations and future growth ambitions.
“I look forward to meeting employers and learners across the industry and supporting the continued growth of BPIF Training.”
